Dapper accessorizing basics: Tie Bars
Items in Photo: Tie – My Suited Life Tie Bars from Top to Bottom: SprezzaBox, Ainsley & Troupe, Skinny Tie Madness, Ainsley & Troupe, Ties.com, Wood & Rivet, Weekend Casual, & Harrison Blake
Here’s a little story about me, about 2 years ago I did not own a tie bar and I couldn’t even tell you what they looked like. Fast forward to now and here I am writing about it. The intention of this post is to give you some background and also give you ideas on what you can do with a tie bar in your look. A disclaimer to my posts…I am biased to my personal take on style. I am fully aware not everyone will agree with my interpretations so please be advised this is just my opinion.
Tie Bars (also known as Tie Clasp, Tie Clip, or Tie Slide)
This is pretty simple to understand but the main purpose of a tie bar is to hold the tie from blowing away in the wind. As a young boy I only remember tie pins which accomplishes the same goal…but damages the tie in the process. So before we talk let’s discuss the tie holder options: Tie Pin, Tie Chain, Tie Bar & Total Tie Keep (NEW). The most popular tie holder today is the tie bar because of two reasons: 1. stylish 2. does not damage your tie*. *For those of you who are knit tie fans (like me) use caution when using tie bars with them. I prefer tie bars with smaller ‘teeth’ or no ‘teeth’ if I wear them with a knit tie.
Question 1: Where do you place a tie bar? The ‘proper’ place to put a tie bar is mid sternum and my personal preference. A fast way to know where that is, is typically right after the 3rd button on your shirt.
Question 2: When do I wear one? The real answer to this is personal preference. I like to wear them on wider ties (vs skinny) and how many other accessories I’m wearing in the look. I try to keep things less than 3 (including the tie). For me it all depends on the outfit.
Question 3: How do you style with them? There are two ways I use tie bars. 1: to coordinate with the look 2: for fun here’s a example of each:
Option 1:
Option 2:
Question 4: Which tie bars should I purchase and where? This is personal preference but here’s a few places I recommend that have the pricing I’m comfortable with: Harrison Blake, Ties.com, Weekend Casual, Wood & Rivet, The Tie Bar & Ainsley & Troupe. NOTE: If you can buy a lapel pin for under $20 (USD) it’s a decent price.
Question 5: What is my next lapel pin purchase? Meat Cleaver @ Ties.com, Wrench @ Ties.com, Owl @ Sprezzabox. Why? All of them are whimsy, fun and unique all at the same time. (i.e. #2 reason to wear it)
In the future I will write another article about picking the right tie bar length for your tie.
